15 August 2008

What does "sustainable" mean to the environmentalists and Shell.


What image is Shell trying to portray.They released an advert in 2007 which has been branded as "misleading" by the Advertising Standards Authority.(ASA)
In the advert Shell stated that it wanted to meet the growing need for energy in ways that are not only profitable but sustainable.They have future projects lined up in Canada to unlock the potential of vast Canadian oil sand deposits.In the USA they are building the nations largest oil refinary and they are going to have a new generation of bio fuels from non food sources.
Hurrah,we think,at last the big boys at Shell care a bit about their environment!
Oh no,don't think so!
Now the WWF did not like the way Shell used "vague and ambiguous" claims to give the impression that Shell had a general concern for the environment.This advert certainly likes to blur what is really behind it all.
WWF argued that Shell is not helping provide a sustainable energy source by exploiting the oil sands.
Infact the oils sands according to the WWF are the worlds dirtest sources of fuel and had a major impact on the environment.
ASA decided to uphold WWFs complaint and this is an important step to stop companies such as Shell trying to give the impression that they are doing all they can to find ways to lessen the harm on the environment.
Lets face it,Shell have to answer to their shareholders and oil companies are just that,Oil companies.
Maybe Shell should think about investing in wind,solar and water power and then and only then can they claim a sustainable energy source that is a benefit to our planet.
In the this changing world and an increasing hostile world to oil they want to keep ahead but maybe they should look at their symbol the Shell and think about where it lived,the sea and maybe think about the life of the Shell and not its death.Its a big hint here!!

2 comments:

GreenBanana said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
GreenBanana said...

Great Post!

The only thing that Shell is interested in doing is having people "Shell" out money, hand over fist for more fuel. They don't give a damn about the rising cost of energy. As long as Shell can keep its market share, that is all they care about.